Musical instrument



HO JUNE KIM Dec. 5, 1961 MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed March 30, 1959 INVENTOR. ){0 Jane 245m BY A r r ORA/E Y United States Patent 3,011,382 MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Ho June Kim, Pusan, Korea (Maryville College, Maryville, Tenn.) Filed Mar. 30, 1959, Ser. No. 802,888 4 Claims. (Cl. 84-384) This invention relates to a musical instrument of a simple, flute-like kind, adapted to the production of relatively high pitched tones of a reasonable variety and, in general, the instrument represents a modification of a flute.

It is the fundamental object of my invention to provide a novel modified form of flute characterized by a simple construction of the body, the inclusion of additional features to add richness to the tone and a simplified mechanism for holding the instrument in the hands. The instrument is particularly useful because of its simplified construction, its capacity to produce novel tones, and its adaptability to the musical instruction of children.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and in part appear hereinafter.

The invention may be described generally as a modified form of flute, consisting essentially of a straight tube, a plurality of openings or stops arranged along the length thereof, numbering 7 or 8, to provide the several tones desirable for the reproduction of a musical scale, the device having a mouthpiece of reduced diameter, connected to an internal mouthpipe of a tapered diameter, the taper extending non-axially to a lower level in the tube to direct a stream of air out of the tube, the device, in addition, having beyond the said mouthpipe, a leaf valve adapted to flutter in the air stream produced by the user of the instrument so as to give a tremolo effect in the musical note being produced.

Referring to the drawings,

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the instrument showing it in something less than full scale and indicating by partial section the arrangement of parts near the mouthiece;

p FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal section through the instrument shown in FIGURE 1, the section being taken along the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a detail view showing the construction of the leaf valve; and

FIGURE 4 is a vertical section through the said leaf valve.

Referring now to the drawings, represents the body of the instrument which consists of a straight tubular section, 11, a small curved section, 12, at one end thereof which terminates in a small tubular section, 13, of reduced diameter. Spaced at intervals along the length of the tube, are the tone control openings or stops 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20, which represent the typical preferred seven openings arranged at spaced intervals so as to develop the appropriate tones.

As a specific embodiment suitable for production of the instrument, the version carrying the seven holes as shown in FIGURE 1, can be made 13 and th inches in overall length, the several holes being spaced according to the following schedule, measuring from the open end:

In this version of the tube the inside diameter is A inch and the material preferably is a brass or bronze inch outside diameter tubing.

Spaced one and thirteen sixteenths inches from the mouthpiece, holes 21 and 22 are drilled to provide a horizontal support internally for the axis 23 of the leaf valve 24 which consists of a simple essentially circular vane having cut out sections 25 and 26 therein, which vane is mounted on the axis by means of supports 27 and 28. Metal foil is the preferred material for the vane.

Immediately beyond the leaf valve opening 29 is milled into the tube to provide a terminus for the mouthpipe 30, which is fundamentally of a conical form, having a vanishing point at 31, and expanding conically to the diameter of the mouthpiece 13 where it meets the mouthpiece 13 at point 32. To support the mouthpipe in this position as shown in FIGURE 2, filler 33 is provided. This filler may be a soft solder and the mouthpipe itself may be brass or bronze; that is a material corresponding to the overall pipe itself.

It is to be noted that the mouthpipe actually terminates at the point 34 where its orifice of discharge is quite small and directs the stream of air in a downward direction toward the vanishing point 31, past the sharp point 35.

In playing the instrument therefore it is held in the hands in a natural position, thumbs beneath it, to support the mouthpiece at the lips of the player. It will be seen from FIGURE 1, therefore, that openings 14, 15, 16, and 17 rather naturally meet the fingertips of the right hand Whereas 18, 19 and 20 are spaced and arranged to be controlled by the index, middle and ring fingers of the left hand. The little finger of the left hand in this arrangement is held under the instrument. With mild blowing on the mouthpiece, a high velocity stream of air is directed through the mouthpipe downwardly at the opening '29, but, inasmuch as the mouthpipe terminates at the point where the opening starts, namely point 34, the stream is no longer directed and at least a portion of the high velocity air stream is deflected by point 35 and aimed at the pipe itself to strike directly on the lower edge of the leaf valve 24. Since the leaf valve 24 is very light, it spins around on its axis to give a tremolo effect on whatever tone is produced by the combination of fingers used on the stops of the instrument.

In this manner a flute-like tone having a super-imposed tremolo eifect is very easily produced by even a small player.

As materials of construction, brass or bronze of good quality and approximately the weight indicated is suitable for the formation of the tube. The end mouthpiece is readily spun or stamped into the instrument and the leaf valve is readily introduced from one end or the other by passing wire axle 23 through the openings. The axle is held fixed in place by drops of solder, or merely by crimping the ends of the wire.

What is claimed is:

l. A flute comprising a length of tubular material one end thereof being reduced to a small diameter to serve as a mouthpiece, a plurality of spaced stops on the upper circumference of said tube to provide fingertip control of the tone, a mouthpipe extending from said mouthpiece to an opening in said tube on the lower circumference thereof at the point of discharge of said mouthpipe in the length between said mouthpiece and the first one of said stops, and a flutter valve mounted in said tube at a point immediately beyond said opening in the tube.

2. A flute in accordance with claim 1 in which the said mouthpipe is fixed in place, is conical in form and has a vanishing point at said lower circumference of said tube.

3. A fin te in accordance with claim 2 in which the Referen es Cit d in th fil f this patent flutter valve is a leaf valve carried by a vertical dia- UNITED S A PATENTS metrical axis 1 ,61 A 4. A flute In accordance Wlth claun 2 1n whlch the 23 9 g g ifi flutter valve is a leaf valve carried by a horizontal dia- 5 2 7 7 Troppe Sept 9 memcal aXls- 2,883,898 Powell Apr. '28, 1959 

